Preseason WNIT | 6/10/2021 10:57:08 AM

FORT COLLINS, CO — Officials with the 2021 Preseason WNIT Classic have announced a modified field of eight teams that will compete in the event in November, with the typical format altered as the collegiate sports world moves past the complications of the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
For 2021, the Preseason WNIT Classic features two four-team pods and a three-game guarantee, with NC State and Kansas State as hosts. Joining the Wolfpack will be Florida, Towson and Wofford; the Wildcats will welcome North Carolina A&T, UT Martin and Western Kentucky. Each site plays a round-robin format, and the final game of the event will have Kansas State playing at NC State on Nov. 19. No champions will be crowned; each pod will have its own all-tournament team.
 
At NC State
(Home team listed second)
Nov. 12
Florida vs. Towson, 4:30 p.m. ET
Wofford vs. NC State, 7 p.m. ET
 
Nov. 14
Florida vs. NC State, 2 p.m. ET
Towson vs. Wofford, 4:30 p.m. ET
 
Nov. 15
Wofford vs. Florida, 4:30 p.m. ET
Towson vs. NC State, 7 p.m. ET
 
Nov. 19
Kansas State at NC State, 7 p.m. ET
 
At Kansas State
(Home team listed second)
Nov. 12
Western Kentucky vs. North Carolina A&T, 5 p.m. ET
UT Martin vs. Kansas State, 7:30 p.m. ET (or 30 minutes after Game 1 conclusion)
 
Nov. 14
Western Kentucky vs. Kansas State, 2 p.m. ET
UT Martin vs. North Carolina A&T, 4:30 p.m. ET (or 30 minutes after Game 1 conclusion)
 
Nov. 15
UT Martin vs. Western Kentucky, 5 p.m. ET
North Carolina A&T vs. Kansas State, 7:30 p.m. ET (or 30 minutes after Game 1 conclusion)
 
This is the 27^th Preseason WNIT event; the 2020 tournament was cancelled because of COVID-19. Recent champions include Oregon State (2019), Iowa State (2018), Louisville (2017), Notre Dame (2016) and Baylor (2015).
 
“We appreciate these eight programs working through the hurdles of pandemic-era scheduling and bringing their competitive energy to the event,” said Jared Rudiger, executive director of the WNIT. “With the return of the Preseason WNIT, the women’s basketball calendar is starting to look familiar again, and this event will once again be a valuable experience for teams as they prepare for their conference schedules.” 
 
Kansas State (9-18, 3-15 Big 12) is looking to build on a strong finish, losing to No. 17 West Virginia in Big 12 quarterfinals on a buzzer-beater. The Wildcats’ key returner is 6-foot-6 junior center Ayoka Lee, a first-team all-Big 12 selection for the past two seasons who averaged 19.1 points and 8.7 rebounds per game last season. She was the only Division-I player to shoot better than 60 percent from the floor and 80 percent from the free-throw line and was named a Top 25 returner by ESPN. Two other starters averaging about 30 minutes per game, Rachel Ranke and Emilee Ebert, also return; KSU also added JUCO player of the year Rebekah Dallinger (25.8 ppg).
 
North Carolina A&T (14-3, 9-1 MEAC) won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament and lost in Round 1 of the NCAA tourney to NC State. The Aggies enjoyed that success even with a young roster featuring seven freshmen and three sophomores. A group of six newcomers was announced in late April, including transfers from Charlotte and Syracuse, along with Kiana Adderton, who played three years at D-II Francis Marion while averaging 15.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Also joining up is Shareka McNeill (D-II Virginia Union), who once scored 59 points in a game.
 
UT Martin (22-6, 17-2 OVC) looks to reload after the exit of senior Chelsey Perry, a second-round selection in the 2021 WNBA Draft, and a 2-1 finish in the Postseason WNIT. Junior Dasia Young transferred in May to Utah after averaging 12.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game; two other fulltime starters from 2020-21 are back in Seygan Robins and Paige Pipkin. UT Martin will also feel fortified with the additions of graduate transfer Holly Forbes and incoming freshman Ella Thompson; Forbes was a strong JUCO player, while Thompson averaged right at 18 points and 10 rebounds per game as a prep senior.
 
Western Kentucky (7-16, 6-10 C-USA) ended last season with a scheduling quirk, playing Old Dominion three times in a row and losing all three games by a combined 10 points. The Lady Toppers have the comfort of a returning point guard in Hope Sivori, who took over the job as a freshman last year. Senior-to-be Meral Abdelgawad is a multi-category contributor, and early reports are that senior Raneem Elgedawy will come back for the extra year allowed by the NCAA after the pandemic disruption. She was a first-team Conference USA selection and averaged 21.5 points and 12.3 rebounds per game.
 
NC State (22-3, 12-2 ACC) had a remarkable regular season and ended up the No. 3 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament before falling short in the Sweet 16 to Indiana. Elissa Cunane (a 6-foot-5 center and ESPN Top 25 returner) is back for her senior year after averaging 16.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per contest, and Jakia Brown-Turner turned in a great sophomore season with 13.5 points and five rebounds per game. The Wolfpack gets a nice boost to the roster with transfers from Rutgers (Diamond Johnson) and Mississippi State (Madison Hayes). NC State held opponents to under 30 percent shooting from 3-point range and outscored its foes by more than 15 points per game last season.
 
Florida (12-14, 3-11 SEC) played a tough schedule and earned a spot in the Postseason WNIT, beating Charlotte and losing to Villanova. The Gators should be solid, with the extra year of eligibility bringing back Kiki Smith (18.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game); leading scorer Lavender Briggs lit it up for 19.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest as a sophomore but missed two months with a foot injury. Sophomore Jordyn Merritt, an SEC All-Freshman pick a year ago, started the final 10 games of the season. Additional help is coming in the form of Rutgers transfer Zipporah Broughton and 6-foot-2 twin sisters Taliyah and Tatyana Wyche.
 
Towson (13-9, 8-6 CAA) will try to adjust to the absence of Kionna Jeter, who was picked in the third round of the 2021 WNBA Draft. The program showed resilience when head coach Diane Richardson was sidelined by COVID-19, winning six straight in a stretch that also saw seven games get cancelled. Fulltime starters Aleah Nelson (13.5 ppg) and Allie Kubek (8.8 ppg, 7.1 rpg) will be vital to the 2021-22 transition.
 
Wofford (13-11, 7-7 SoCon) came close to an NCAA bid, falling to Mercer in the final of the Southern Conference tournament, the first time the Terriers went that far in the event. The roster only had one senior in 2020-21, with seasoned starters Lilly Hatton (leading scorer at 10.5 ppg along with five rebounds per game), Jackie Carman (9.5 ppg) and Niyah Lutz (8.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg) looking to push Wofford forward. The team shot only 29 percent from 3-point range last season but did hold opponents to just 27.7 percent as well.
 
About Triple Crown Sports
Based in Fort Collins, CO., Triple Crown Sports has been producing events in youth athletics and the college ranks for 40 years. TCS runs both the preseason and postseason WNIT basketball events and produces the men’s and women’s Cancun Challenge tournaments in November, which have been recognized by Sports Illustrated as a top-5 destination tournament for D-I basketball programs.